Sweet Betrayal
by angels in wonderland
Summary: When her marriage begins to go downhill, Abigail turns to a good friend for help. As their relationship turns into more than friendship, they must deal with guilt and other unplanned consequences. Ben/Abi/Riley love triangle. Mostly Riley/Abigail.
1. Loosen Up

A/N:

**A/N: When her marriage begins to go downhill, Abigail turns to a good friend for help. As their relationship turns into more than friendship, they most deal with guilt and other unplanned consequences. Riley/Abigal with some Abigail/Ben angst. Sorry Ben-lovers, it seems as though I make him out to be the bad guy in this story.**

**Genres included: Romance, angst, drama**

**Rating: T for now, possibly M later.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned National Treasure, Ben and Abigail would not be together. So, no. I do not own National Treasure. ******

Chapter 1

Abigail Gates stood leaning against the door frame, looking into the office at her husband.

"Honey, come on down to dinner."

"In a minute, Abigail," Ben said, hardly looking up from the papers on his desk.

"Just come down before your food gets cold." He didn't hear her mumble to herself as she turned to leave. "For the hundredth time."

She walked down to the second floor of her and Ben's large house. She knocked on the first door to the right of the stairs. "Dinner."

It didn't even take two seconds before the door was opened. Riley Poole's head poked out from behind the door, quickly followed by the rest of his body. "Great, what are we having tonight?"

"Lasagna."

"My favorite."

"Riley, you say that about everything."

"As long as it's food and it's not olives." Riley had a weird thing with olives. It was one of the very few foods he would not eat. He did, however, tend to stick them on his fingers and occasionally poke people with them.

"Nope, no olives in this lasagna," Abigail said, chuckling. The Gates' had more than enough money to hire a personal chef, but she enjoyed doing the cooking. She liked impressing the guys. When Ben actually showed up, that is. Riley was not difficult to please.

They made their way down to the dining room on the first floor. Three places were set neatly on the table. Abigail knew that one of them would most likely remain empty. She had stopped putting food on Ben's plate weeks ago. He had developed a routine: Come downstairs at around eleven. Microwave the leftovers. Apologize to her for missing dinner again. Return to his office.

Ben and Abigail had been married for almost a year now. Their anniversary was in a month. At first, the marriage was happy and exiting. They honeymooned in Europe for an entire month. It had been fun and romantic. They had plans to travel the world, experiencing new cultures and learning more about the history of different countries. They had plans for children. Two of them, a year apart.

Then things began to change. Ben became distant, engulfed in dreams of a new treasure, fueled by the discovery of an artifact he had found in a museum. He had urged her to help him. He had told her it would be another adventure. She didn't want an adventure, though. She wanted to settle down. Even if she _did_ want one, she saw no adventure in pouring over historical books and documents. Of course, she did find it fascinating, but soon she began to feel lonely. He put his new task before her. _Far_ before her. Dinner became a rare event. Sex became something that was had once every week or two. Ben hardly every paid attention to her.

"Are you alright?" Abigail looked up from her plate to see Riley, looking concerned at the other end of the table.

"I'm fine, thank you."

Riley knew that she wasn't fine. He knew that there were problems between her and Ben. It would take an idiot not to see that. And Riley was no idiot. The marriage was going downhill. He felt resentment towards Ben. He didn't understand how he could let it get this bad. How he could hurt Abigail like he was. He thought Ben loved her. He thought he was a better man than that.

"I'm just so tired of this." She paused. "You know… this whole dinner thing." This was her husband's best friend she was talking to. She wouldn't get into the deeper issues.

"Look," Riley said, grabbing her hand from across the table. "I know things haven't been so great between you and Ben. But things will get better. I'm sure he's just going through some kind of phase. Or maybe it's like mid-life crisis or something." Abigail grinned, despite the tears welling up in her eyes. _Why am I about to cry? I'm not a crier. And it's nothing I didn't know already._ However, this was the first time any problem had been vocalized. Maybe that itself contributed the issue. She figured if the brought it up to Ben, a large argument would follow. Instead, she tried dropping hints to him, but he only got annoyed at the way she began her sentences with "So…"

"Do you want me to say something to him?"

"No, that's ok."

"Really, it wouldn't be a problem at all."

"I appreciate that Riley, I really do. But I don't want him getting upset at either of us. Not that we'd even notice if he was giving either of us the cold shoulder—"

She regretted saying the last bit. She was sure Ben was under some stress up there, doing whatever it was that he was doing. His work was definitely important to him, and he seemed to have hit an obstacle over the past few weeks. He sometimes turned to a bottle of alcohol for help, but never so much that his problem-solving skills would be impaired. "A clear head is the most important tool in treasure discovery. Resources are the second most important," Ben would say.

The remainder of the dinner was spent mostly in silence, until Riley dropped a forkful of lasagna on his lap and then, while quickly trying to grab a napkin, spilled his ice-water all over the table and himself. He looked down at the mess, then at Abigail, who had a shocked look on her face. As soon as their eyes met, they both burst out laughing. This continued for what seemed like five minutes. By the time it was all over, except for a few slipped giggles, Riley and Abigail had tears rolling down their cheeks.

"Thanks for that, Riley," Abigail said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I really needed a good laugh."

"Yeah, at my expense!" He shivered as he suddenly became aware of how cold the ice water was on his legs. "I'm going to change. I'll be right back."

Shortly after he left the dining room Abigail heard his quick footsteps running up the stairs; he was trying to get to his warm clothes as quickly as possible. When he came back downstairs, more slowly this time, he was wearing a t-shirt with black and grey plaid pajama bottoms.

"Better?" Abigail asked.

"Much," Riley said. He picked up his plate, then Abigail's, and headed into the kitchen. As he was washing the dishes, Abigail walked in, yawning.

"I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight."

"Too much laughing for you?" he asked, smiling.

"Probably," she said, half-jokingly. "I don't even know why that was so funny."

"It happens to me, too. I get so stressed out and focused on the negative things, that the simplest humor becomes the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life. You just need to loosen up a bit."

"Yeah, I suppose." She paused, thinking, and then looked up at him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." She left as Riley shook his head. He wondered how Ben could ever take someone like that for granted.

**A/N: How is it so far? Let me know!**


	2. Invitations & Cocoa Puffs

**A/N****: This takes place a week later.**

**If I didn't get a chance to respond to your reviews, or I just missed one, I want to say thank you very much!**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own the rights to Cocoa Puffs. I don't even really like them. :) I also do not own the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. However, I did create "The US Treasure Hunters Society."**

Chapter 2

Abigail held the glitzy invitation in her hands, contemplating her next move. There was a party being held in D.C. for the nation's top treasure hunters, and they were being requested for the VIP list. She usually went to these kinds of things; mostly there were a bunch of old men with metal detectors who stumbled upon valuable artifacts in their backyards.

"Hey, Riley?" She rolled her eyes as she saw him come around the corner with one side of his hair sticking up. He scratched his head and yawned.

"Yeah?" Riley made his way to the refrigerator and took out an almost-empty gallon of milk. He held it up to his face and shook it, as if that would somehow make more milk appear.

"There's a party we've been invited to."

"What kind of party? Like a birthday party?" He seemed half-asleep.

"No, it's for treasure hunters."

"Is that so? I thought we weren't treasure hunters." Riley began rummaging through the large walk-in pantry, looking for his Cocoa Puffs.

"Would you feel better if it said "The US Treasure Hunters Society's Presents the Tenth Annual Formal Gathering for Treasure Hunters _and_ those who refer to themselves as 'Treasure Protectors'?"

"Yes, I _would_ actually," he said, laughing, as he came out of the pantry with a box of generic corn flakes instead.

"I think the card is too small for that."

"And _I_ think we're out of Cocoa Puffs." He sat down, pouring the cereal into a colorful bowl. "Those people have enough money to buy bigger invitations." Riley picked the invitation up off of the table and cringed at the shiny gold border. On the back, there was a little pouch tied with a red ribbon. When he opened it, a small gold coin fell out. It looked very old.

"They'll do anything to get people to come. Seems pretty desperate to me," Abigail said. She grabbed the paper as Riley struggled to get the last drops of milk into the bowl. He shook the container repeatedly.

"So where is this thing?"

Abigail looked on the inside of the invitation and read it aloud. "Hosted at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill."

"That place isn't that big." Riley remembered going to a small convention for computer programmers. People were crammed in there wall-to-wall.

"These things usually only have a few hundred people coming. It's kind of an elite event. It's probably nothing _that_ exiting, but… would you like to go with me?"

"Yeah, of course," Riley said, too quickly. He looked down into his cereal bowl, occupying himself until his face was less red.

Abigail smiled. "Good, I was hoping you would come."

"Wait… is Ben coming?" Abigail looked guiltily at him. "You didn't ask him, did you?"

It was Abigail's face that turned a different shade this time. "You know what he's going to say, especially at this short of notice. It's on Saturday." The mood in the room became suddenly less cheerful. "What's the point of asking? It'll just make me upset when he says no and acts like it's no big deal." She looked up at him, smiling. He was confused by her sudden change of expression. "What? You don't want to be my date?"

"No, it's not that… it's just… you know—"

"Riley, relax, I was _joking_."

He returned her smile, but still seemed unsure. "I just think it's something Ben might want to go to."

"What's something I might want to go to?" Ben walked into the kitchen holding a mug of old coffee.

"Sweetie, you're up early." She walked over and kissed him.

"Yeah, I got a lot of sleep last night." She knew that; at eight she had gone into their room and found him dead asleep.

"Yeah, it was nice sleeping with someone else in our bed to keep me company."

"Abigail, you know I try—"

"Please, I didn't mean it like that." She got an irked look from Ben. "Let's not discuss this right now." An awkward silence followed the dropping of the subject. "Would you like some oatmeal?" She gestured to the pot of oatmeal on the stove.

"No thanks, cereal is fine."

"We don't have any milk left."

"That's ok, I'll just eat it dry." After a minute of searching through the pantry, Ben emerged, looking slightly annoyed. "We're out of Cocoa Puffs."

"I know…" Riley said, looking into his bowl of corn flakes sadly.

"What's with you boys and your Cocoa Puffs?" Abigail said, amazed at how they could become so distraught over the chocolaty cereal.

"I don't know. Maybe because it's only the _greatest cereal ever created_." He looked at her with his eyes wide as if she was supposed to know this.

"Ok, don't gang up on me here. I'll run to the grocery store this afternoon and get some more."

"It's alright," Riley said, "I can go buy some later. And get some milk."

"I have to go buy some things for dinner tonight anyways—"

"I'll come with you then." Abigail smiled at him. He was so eager to do simple things like grocery shop. The reason was most likely the fact that he stayed in the house most of the week. He liked to get out.

"Ok, but we're taking _your_ car." Not only did his car use less gas, she liked showing up places in the bright red Viper.

"I was going to say that," he grinned. He also loved showing off the car. Especially with a pretty woman like Abigail in the passenger's seat.

"So what is this thing you two were talking about before I came in?"

Riley slid the invitation across the table. He and Abigail studied Ben's face closely as he read it.

"I think I _would_ like to go to this." Riley and Abigail looked at him, surprised.

"Really?" they both said.

"Sure. It'll be great to discuss some of my research that I'm having difficulties on with the society members, don't you think?"

"Of course," Abigail said. "I'm sure they're very insightful."

"Aww, does this mean I can't be Abigail's date any more?" Riley said, nudging Ben's arm with his elbow.

"Go right ahead," Ben said, laughing.

Abigail looked down so that neither of the guys would see the large grin that she couldn't seem to get off her face.

**A/N: If there are any typos, don't hesitate to let me know. Leave a review to tell me what you think. Thanks everyone! :)  
**


	3. Shop n Go

A/N: Here comes the next chapter

**A/N****: Here comes the next chapter. :) I know there's nothing dramatic yet, but it can't just come suddenly, ya know? I gotta, like, **_**build up**_** to it.**

**Again, I try to respond to every review, but if I missed yours, thanks! I really appreciate reviewers. :)**

**Disclaimer****: I'm not quite sure if there is a place called "Shop-n-Go." If there is, I most certainly do not own it. I also do not own National Enquirer, and **_**still**_** own no rights to Cocoa Puffs. Although I wish I did so that I could lour Riley into my house and… never mind. ;)**

Chapter 3

It was only a five minute drive, but by the time Abigail stepped out of the convertible, her hair was tangled and in her face. She looked at her reflection in the tinted window of an SUV parked next to her and sighed.

"So much for making an effort this morning." She half-heartedly attempted to fix it, looking at Riley with envy as he simply flattened the top of his hair with his palm. Within a second it looked fine. She turned to walk into the "Shop-n-Go", when Riley grabbed her arm.

"Wait," he said. He looked at her hair for a moment, then moved a strand of hair to the other side. Abigail got a slight chill as Riley gently tucked another piece behind her ear. "That's better." He turned towards the grocery store, and she exhaled, realizing she hadn't breathed since he touched her. _What am I, in high school?_ She thought. She didn't know why she was feeling this way around him lately. _What am I thinking, anyway? I'm married. I'm in love with Ben._ Guilty feelings flooded her head as she tried to make up for it by thinking of as many great times with Ben as she could think of.

"You coming?" At his words Abigail snapped out of the trance she had slipped into. She pulled the shopping list out of her pocket and walked through the door Riley held open for her. Scribbled on the paper was:

_**COCOA PUFFS!!**_

Lettuce

Italian Dressing

Angel-Hair Pasta

Chocolate Ice-Cream

Romano Cheese

Tomato Sauce

Ketchup

Cream Cheese

Milk

As they walked along the aisles, Riley glanced at Abigail occasionally. After a bit of small talk, he asked the question that had been on his mind for the past few minutes. "So, how are you doing?" She looked at him for a moment, confused. "You know, you and Ben—"

"We're fine," she snapped.

"I'm sorry, I was just wondering—"

"No, I'm sorry," Abigail said. She was embarrassed by the way she had responded to his question. "It's just… a sensitive topic I guess."

She could tell Riley felt bad about asking. "It's fine; I won't bring it up again."

Abigail wanted to say, "No, it's fine, you can ask me whenever." She hated the fact that she couldn't get those words out. She knew Riley was only being caring and trying to help. But she also knew that if she talked about it, she would either start taking out her frustration on him, like she had done moments ago, or she would break down and start crying. Neither of which she particularly wanted to do, especially in a grocery store. Instead, she busied herself with the shopping list and grabbed some ketchup off of the shelf.

"Ok, all we need is the ice-cream," she said as she scratched "ketchup" off of the list.

"Alright, you can get in the checkout line and I'll run and get it." As she waited in the line, a thought raced through her mind that she had tried to get out all day. She felt almost… disappointed that Ben had said yes. She knew that she had been afraid he would say no, but she had prepared herself for that. Not only did his answer take her by surprise, but she now guiltily wished he had said no. This confused her. She wanted _more_ time with Ben, didn't she?

"Ok, here we go." She heard Riley's voice from behind her as she began taking food out of the cart. He placed the ice-cream on the conveyor with the rest of the foods. She laughed as he grabbed a "National Enquirer" off of the shelf. On the cover read "Boy Claims Alien is his Father."

"What?" Riley asked. "This stuff is interesting." After the items were all bagged, he took out his credit card.

"It's ok, I've got it," Abigail said, taking out her card.

"No, I'll get this one."

"Really, Riley, it's fine."

"But then you'll be paying for my Cocoa Puffs, _and_ my magazine."

"I don't mind, it's not a big deal."

"Abigail," he said, grabbing her shoulders and looking in her eyes, "it's _ok_. I want to pay."

"But—"

At her word, he snatched her card from her hand and gave the checker his. He gave her this kind of "in your face" look as he was paying. Once the cashier was done, as they were walking out the door with their bags, he handed her the credit card.

"Did your mother teach you to be insistent on being a gentleman?"

"Yes, actually," Riley said, with a hint of pride in his voice. "And she also told me to do this—" He opened the car door for her, smiling like he was the most chivalrous man in the world.

"Why thank you, sir," she said jokingly.

"My pleasure, madam." He laughed as he put the groceries in the back seat. He thought to himself, _I'm not _that_ obvious, am I?_ He let that question go, and drove them home.

**A/N****: Ok, I know. I have the curse of short chapters. But I couldn't think of much that could happen in a grocery store. I don't want too much fluff. Any typos? What do you think so far? Whatever you want to say, let me know.**


	4. The Party

**A/N****: Thanks for the reviews! I would hug you all if I could!**

**I know, the first two paragraphs are almost the same. It was intended. :)**

**Disclaimer****: Unfortunately, the lawyer would not take my case, and I didn't win the rights to National Treasure. I'm finding a new lawyer.**

Chapter 4

Saturday

Riley stood in front of his mirror, looking himself over from head to toe. _Not too bad_, he thought. He had expensive leather shoes and a nice tux on. It was a very formal event. Riley looked the part. Or, at least, he hoped he did, for Abigail.

Abigail stood in front of her mirror, looking herself over from head to toe. _This ought to do_, she though. She was wearing not-to-uncomfortable heals, and a black cocktail dress with some sequins on it. Her makeup was not too heavy, but she made sure her eyes stood out the most. She knew this was a formal event. Abigail looked the part. Or, at least, she hoped she did, for Riley.

Ben walked into the room, adjusting his sleeves. "I finally get to wear this to an party I've been invited to," he joked. "You look nice," he said, glancing up at her.

"Thanks. So do you." That was about the height of their small talk before Ben grabbed a comb off the dresser, kissed Abigail's cheek, and walked downstairs. Abigail sighed, checked her reflection for the fifteenth time, and walked down to the second floor. Just as she reached his door, it opened. Riley and Abigail both jumped a little, startled.

"I was just going to go find you," Riley said. "Wow…Abigail…" She loved how he said her name. There was something about how delicately the word flowed from his mouth. "You look beautiful."

She smiled and looked down for a moment at her dress and heals. When she looked back up at him, she had a big smile on her face. "You think so?"

"Yeah. I mean, you always look beautiful, but now especially."

"Thanks, Riley," she said, still glowing. She tried not to seem too flattered by the compliment. "You look great yourself. Now what is it you were going to come find me for?"

He sighed helplessly, gesturing towards the sloppy bowtie around his neck. "I sorta… uh… forgot how to tie it the right way."

Abigail laughed. "I guess this is what women are for."

"What?" Riley asked. "Tying bowties?"

"Doing things men should be able to do, but can't," she said with a teasing smirk. She stepped closer to him, fixing the mess he had created with the bowtie. When she was finished, she stepped back again, admiring the everything put together. "There you go," she said, "a modern day prince charming right there." She said this half-jokingly, with a bit of truth in her words. He really did look great. His hair wasn't as messy as it usually was, even though she liked the bed head that he usually walked around sporting. That, plus the fact that his eyes seemed extra blue today for some reason.

"Thank you for saving my outfit," he said. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Anytime." After standing there for a few moments, she spoke again. "Do you think we should get going now?"

Riley pulled up his sleeve and looked at his watch. "Six-thirty." The party began at seven. "Yeah, we should start heading over there now."

When they got downstairs, Ben was already standing by their massive double-doors, holding manila folders crammed with papers for sharing with the other treasure hunters.

"You ready?" he said, shuffling through some of his materials.

"Yep," Abigail said. "Are you sure you have everything?" She gestured towards the stack of folders in his hand.

"Yeah, I just double checked."

Abigail sent Riley one of those, _well, he's going to be fun tonight,_ looks, which he responded with a quiet laugh. They made eye contact for a few seconds, smiling at each other. Abigail was so glad he was coming. The evening would most likely otherwise be painstaking. There was a downside to Riley coming, though. She was afraid Ben would notice she couldn't keep her eyes off him.

**RxAxRxAxRxAxRxAxRxAxRxAxRxAxRxAxRxAxRxA**

Abigail had been right about the event. When the arrived at the Hyatt Regency, most of the people they saw wandering outside were old men. Mostly in their sixties, from what she could see. It was Valet Parking, so Ben, Abigail, and Riley got out of the car and let a young man wearing a vest and a silly looking hat take the car around the building.

The inside was elegant. Sparkling chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Deep-red curtains hung across the windows, adorned with golden tassels. The details of the carpet were exquisite. Even though Abigail was used to luxury, at least since they discovered their first treasure, she was still blown away by the beauty of it all. She looked over at Riley, who was also admiring his surroundings, looking up at the chandelier that was hanging directly above their heads.

They followed signs and were directed by some of the staff members to the two adjoining rooms that the event was being held in, occasionally being stopped by people that just wanted to shake their hands and say hello. They even signed a few autographs of aspiring fans.

The first room was the banquet room, later to be used as the ballroom, with a stage and a projector screen at the front. In the center of the room there were long tables topped with white table clothes with gold embroidery. They found the place cards with their names on them, right in the front row, and sat down; Riley made sure Abigail let him pull her chair out for her so she could sit down. He sat on Abigail's left, and Ben sat to her right.

They socialized with a few of the younger guests. Apparently word had gotten out that they were going to be there, and many of the people had accepted the invitation just so that they could meet the treasure-finding trio.

The dinner was served, the speeches were given, videos were shown on the projector screen; pictures of the Templar Treasure and Cibola flashed in front of their eyes, some of which Ben, Riley, and Abigail were in. After that, people roamed around in between the two rooms. In the room they had just eaten in, the tables were moved and the room was made into a large dance floor. There was a live band performing. Desert tables lined the walls. In the adjoined room, tables and stands were set up with displays of various artifacts found by some of the guests. Nothing compared to what the three of them had found. A few coins were scattered about, some swords here and there.

People were pulling the three in every direction. Ben was trying to escape to some of the well-known archeological and historical experts. Riley was stuck with a flirty girl who kept touching his arm and was spending way too long describing each of her artifacts. Abigail was answering questions about the two treasures.

After Riley slipped away from the touchy artifact girl, he snuck behind Abigail and grabbed her arm. "Can I borrow her for a moment?" The group Abigail was talking to didn't seem to mind too much, she had already answered most of their questions.

Abigail looked at him questioningly. "I just thought you might want to get out of there for a while," he explained.

She smiled at him. "_Thank you_. I was getting so tired of answering dumb questions like, 'so where do you keep all your money?' and 'do you own any designer purses?'"

"I thought so." They walked into the ballroom away from crowd. There was a moderately large group of people dancing to a slow song. Riley still hadn't let go of Abigail's arm. "So, do you maybe want to dance?"

"I would love to." She stepped towards him and put her arm around his neck, grabbing his hand. She rested her head on his shoulder, her warm cheek against his neck. Riley pulled her a little closer to him, a bit afraid of the outcome. She didn't resist; in fact, she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck.

Riley glanced nervously over at the other room. He could see Ben talking to some of the older treasure-finders, not noticing Riley and Abigail. He didn't know what he was so worried about. If Ben saw them, all he would see was Riley and Abigail dancing. But it was more than that to him. He rested his chin on the top of her head. He didn't want the dance to end.

Abigail felt the same way. As she was dancing in his arms, she felt safe and cared for. Whenever he pulled her closer to him, she let him. Her heart was racing, and yet she felt calm and relaxed, like she didn't have a care in the world.

And then the moment was over. Riley felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Ben. "May I cut in?" Of course, he couldn't object, even though his heart was screaming at him to do so. He was her husband, what could he say?

"Of course," Riley said. Abigail said nothing. She simply switched partners, looking slightly disappointed. Riley watched them for a few seconds, not dancing nearly as close to each other as he and Abigail had just been. Not wanting to stand there looking like an idiot who had just had the highlight of his night destroyed, he wandered back into the showroom for a while. He looked at his watch. The night was almost over anyways. Just about twenty minutes left.

Abigail spent the rest of the time chatting with Riley in one groups of chairs in the far corner of the room. They mostly talked about her and Ben, if things were getting better or not. They weren't. Riley tried to reassure her that things would get better, even though she was hesitant to believe him. She argued that it would most likely only get worse as time passed. After desperate attempts to change the subject, they both gave up and sat there, waiting for Ben.

When the time came, he walked over and told them they could get going. They were stopped a few times, but amazingly they made it out in one piece. After a nearly silent ride through traffic, they arrived home.

Ben immediately went up to his study, about to put into use all the information he had gathered over the course of the night. After he had gone, Abigail linked her arm though Riley's and went slowly up to her room. When they got to the door, Abigail pulled him into a hug, something she didn't do normally.

"Riley," she said, the sound muffled by his shoulder.

"Yeah?" he answered. The sudden hug had taken him by surprise.

"I really wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"You know, for being such a good friend to me though all this." It hurt him a bit to hear "friend." But what could he expect? He knew that's all he'd ever be to her. It was naïve to think any differently.

"Abigail," he said softly, "you know I'm here for you no matter what."

Once Abigail realized the hug had lasted longer than she had anticipated, and she quickly but politely pulled away from him. "Well, goodnight then."

"Goodnight," Riley said. As the door closed, he thought about the dance and the hug, longing to hold her in his arms again.

**A/N: Ugh, I know, it's pretty boring so far (it wasn't too exiting to write, either). This was the hardest chapter to write for some reason. It will change soon, I promise! I just need to figure out how to get to the big cheating scene, and then I'll be set to go with all the drama and tears and whatnot. And I don't know how difficult tying a bowtie really is, or if you even **_**have**_** to tie it, because I am not a guy. So if that scene was unrealistic, just pretend. (: LOL.**

**Remember to click that magical little review button and leave my your opinions or any typos! If you do, I will give you a reviewcookie! :D How super is that?!**


	5. Anniversary

**A/N: Hey there! I hope everyone enjoyed their freshly baked reviewcookies in response to my appreciation of the marvelous reviewers! This chapter is dedicated to… Iron Man! Woo! –drifts into my own world filled with Robert Downey, Jr. once again— … and now back to the story!**

Chapter 5

Two weeks had passes since the treasure hunters' banquet. Not much had occurred since then. Ben was as distant as ever, and Riley and Abigail continued to spend their time together, occasionally exchanging shy smiles for no apparent reason; they were simply happy when they were around each other. Things were going pretty well for Abigail, considering. Today was the exception.

She was pacing in the living room when Riley came downstairs, running fingers through her hair and looking at her watch. Ben was out on an errand; he had been gone for an hour now. She hadn't heard Riley come in, and she jumped when he said her name. Abigail spun around to see him leaning against the doorframe leading to the kitchen.

"He'll remember," he said, although he didn't look too hopeful.

"What?" was all she managed to get out.

"Your anniversary," he pulled one corner of his mouth into a small smile, trying to look confident in his statement. "He'll remember." She stared back at him for a moment. Riley couldn't comprehend why she was looking at him the way she was. She seemed confused. Suspicious. Maybe angry? When she didn't speak, he decided it was his turn to ask. "_What?_"

"You remembered our wedding anniversary?" Abigail looked down at the floor.

"Yeah, it was only a year ago…" he said with a small chuckle, like it was no big deal at all, as if it were like remembering Christmas every year.

"Do you promise?"

Riley shrugged sadly. "I wish I could, Abigail."

"_Do you promise?" What kind of dumb question was that to ask?_ Abigail thought to herself. She started pacing again. "If he forgets, and _you _remembered, I swear—"

Abigail was cut off by the sound of the front door opening. She started walking too quickly towards the front hallway, but Riley's hand on her wrist stopped her. The hardwood floor and her socks were not a good combination, and she slipped. In an instant, Riley's arms were around her, breaking her fall. "You can't make it seem like you've just spent the past hour waiting for him." She resisted the shiver that was attempting to make its way up her spine; Riley's lips were not even a centimeter away from her ear.

"Ok, ok…" She gently removed herself from his grasp, and walked calmly into the kitchen. She felt a pang of disappointment as Riley left her to go up to his room, but she knew it would be best to be alone with her husband. When Ben finally came in to put his keys on the rack where he kept them, she was preoccupying herself with a salad.

"Oh, hi honey," Ben look surprised to see her. Abigail looked at her watch. Eight-fourteen. It _was_ a very strange time to make a salad. She had grabbed the first thing she saw in the refrigerator in an attempt to make it seem like she was just having a normal day and had not been pacing insanely waiting for him to come home. Apparently she had failed.

"Good morning, what have you been up to?" she asked with a hopeful smile. Her smile quickly faded with his response.

"I just drove over to Richard Green's house to get a few historical records." He waved the folder that she hadn't noticed was in his hands.

Abigail pushed aside the intense feeling of disappointment. _Maybe he has something up his sleeve for tonight._ "So, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"

"Nope, I just need to get cracking on this," he said nonchalantly. He gestured once more to the folder.

"Oh, ok."

Ben seemed to sense her grief. He walked over and kissed her forehead. "We'll do something sometime next week, ok?"

"Alright." Her response and small smile were empty. As Ben walked up to his office, Abigail clung to the small string of hope that maybe he was leading her off course. He would surprise her tonight with roses and a nice dinner, a warm bath in their Jacuzzi with champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. Everything would be perfect like it used to be.

The sky turned dark as six-o-clock rolled around, then seven. Eight. Eight-thirty. The time dragged on slowly. Riley stopped by her room a few times, asking if she needed anything and squeezing her shoulder reassuringly. Although he had the right intentions, this didn't help calm her nerves. Abigail couldn't wait any longer. She needed to know.

She waited outside Ben's office door for a moment, took a deep breath, and knocked anxiously at the door. When she heard his inviting response, she opened the door. He was sitting at his desk, glasses on, with a magnifying glass in his hands. There was a worn piece of paper in his hand.

She called his name, and with out looking up, he responded. "Yeah?"

"I think I'm going to head out to the mall. Do a little shopping. Is that alright?" She prayed that he would say she couldn't go. This would mean he had something planned.

Her hopes came crashing down as he answered her question. "Sure, go right ahead. I'll be up here if you need me."

"Ok, thanks," she said, making a futile attempt to stop her voice from cracking. Abigail trudged down the stairs numbly, ignoring the pain when she stubbed her toe on the corning of the railing. She held everything together until she got into the living room, where she curled up on the couch and grabbed a pillow to muffle her sobs.

**A/N: So, there is chapter 5. :) The major Riley/Abigail will be in the next chapter or two, do don't worry, it is coming! Thanks everyone!**

**Let me know what you think.**


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